Frame and window for automobile-tops.



,c. WEISS. FRAME AND WINDOW FOR AUTOMOBILE TOPS. APPILICATION HLED DEC. 16, I916.

1,302,742. Patented May 6, 1919..

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' c. wuss. FRAME AND W INDOW FOR AUTOMOBILE TOPS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 16. I916. I

Patented May 6, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. WEISS. FRAME AND wmDow FOR AUTOMOBILE TOPS.

' APPLICATION FILED DEC. 16, 1916.

Patented. May 6, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

CHARLES WEISS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FRAME AND WINDOW FOR AUTOMOBILE-TOPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 6, 1919.

Application filed December 16, 1916. Serial No. 137,398.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that 1, CHARLES Wnrss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful llmprovementsin Frames and Windows for Automobile-Tops, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to frames and windows for automobile tops, and is particularly directed to such devices which are of a more or less temporary character and. adapted to be used in connection with the ordinary cape tops.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a side closure or the like for ve hicle tops, which may be readily installed in connection with an ordinary top; which will have suitable doors and windows which are adapted to be easily manipulated for opening and closing, and which will move to an out of the way position when open; and in general, to provide such an improved structure or apparatus of the character indicated, which will be more fully described in the following specification.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an automobile, showing an ordinary cape top with my improved doors or closures applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken on the line H of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig: 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the doors in raised position;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail showing one of th hinges for the front door;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 10-40 of Fig. 1.

As illustrated in these-drawings, 11 indicates an ordinary automobile body having the usual side doors 12-12, and cape top 13. It is well understood that the ordinary curtains such as are usually buttoned onto the sides of the top, are more or less unsatisfactory, and are not desirable for winter use. Various arrangements have been proposed for putting in temporary frame structures and doors, but these are usually arranged so that the temporary doors must swing with the lower doors. These temporary doors must remain in position, so that it is impossible to entirely open the sides of the car, as is often desirable. In accordance with the present invention I provide an arrangement whereby a simple frame may be inserted in the sides of the top, and the temporary or auxiliary doors may be swung up into the top in order to open them, and may be fastened in such position, where they will be entirely out of the way. In order to do this, I. provide a frame consisting of vertical posts 14, 15, 16 and 17 and a cap or lintel 18. With the usual type of bodies the posts will extend vertically from the sides of the body, and the top plate 18 will be formed as shown in Fig. 2, so as to fill in the space between the upper ends of the posts and the side 19 of the top 13.

The center door 20 has a lower frame 21, which is preferably provided with a pane 22 .of glass or other transparent material. The frame 21 is hinged at 23 to an upper frame 2 1, which is also provided with a pane 25 of transparent material. The frame 25 is hinged at 26 to the cap 18-, so that its lower end" will swing inwardly and upwardly. The posts 15 and 16 are provided with grooves 27 for the guide pins 28 on the ends of the frame 21, adjacent to the lower edge thereof. It will be seen that by means of this arrangement, when the driver wishes to open the door 20, all that is necessary is to push up on the lower edge of the frame 22, which will cause the upper edge .of this frame and the lower edge of the upper frame to swing inwardly and upwardly to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 6. The door may be fastened in this position by means of any suitable fasteningdevices, such as the straps 29, which are secured to the bows of the top 13, and are provided with holes for engagement with the buttons or catches 30 on the sides of the frame 21. "Catches 31 are pivoted to the posts and serve to lock the door in closed position, as will be seen from Figs. 1 and It will be noted that on account of the horizontal arrangement of the cap 18, the hinge 26 may be made in the form shown in Fig. 4, to insure the swinging of the door up to such position as will leave an entirely free opening at the side of the car, and will also carry the door to a position Where it will be. entirely out of the way.

The same general arrangement is also applicable for the front door 32, but on account of the slope of the top, the door is hinged and guided-in a slightly different manner. In this instance the top frame 33 is provided with a front hinge 34, which has one leaf pivoted at 35 to a bracket 36 on the cap 18, so that the door may be swung up and also edgewise. The rear hinge 37 is arranged as shown in Fig. 3, so as to raise the door well up into the top when it is in open position, which necessitates the edgewise swinging of the door on the pivot 35, as the rear part of the door is raised more than the front part. This will be readily 'seen from Fig. 6, which shows how the door swings up to a position substantially parallel with the adjacent portion of the top. In rder to permit -this double swinging movement, the rear edge of the lower part of the door is not provided with any guide member, but the front edge is provided with a yielding pin 38 having a head 39, which fits in a guideway 40 in the front post 14. A spring 41 tends to urge the door toward the guideway, as will be apparent from the arrangement shown in Fig. 10. By means of this arrangement, the lower portion of the door will be guided in its upward movement, and yet may swing backw'ardly enough to permit of its moving up to the position shown in Fig. 6.

The front door is held in raised position by means of any suitable catch such as the spring catch 42, which engages with the rear edge of the door when in raised position, as shown in Fig. 6, and which will prevent rattling or movement thereof.

The window 43 at the rear of the car is made in the same way as the doors, and is hinged to the cap 18 by means of hinges 44. As the lower edge of the window will ordinarily be made slanting to conform with the rear seat, the lower portion of this window has only a single guide member 45, which fits in a channel guide 46 in the post 16, and prevents the edgewise movement of the window, as well as guiding it in its vertical movement. This window may be held in raised position by means of a strap 47, which engages with a button 48 on the lower sash. All of the posts are preferably provided with flan es or jambs 49 for making a tight joint with the doors and windows, and against which they will rest when in closed position.

It will be readily seen that by means of my improved construction, a winter top may be readily formed from an ordinary cape top. My attachment may be easily placed in position and the doors and windows can be conveniently operated without the necessity of making any changes in the regular body, or providing any connections between the auxiliary doors and the body doors. Furthermore, with my improved construction, the closures may all be swung up into the top out of the way at any time desired.

horizontal axes, said doors being composed of upper and lower sash members which are hinged together upon horizontal axes, and means for guiding the lower edge of the door to cause it to move vertically, the arrangement being such that the two sections of the door will fold together withtheir connected edges swinging inwardly as they are being folded and swing up into the top when in open position.

2. An attachment for vehicle tops, comprising a frame having posts etxending upwardly from the sides of the vehicle body, and having a cap forming a. closure with the top, a door hinged to the upper part of the frame, said door comprising two sections which are hinged together and adapted to have their connected edges swing inwardly, and means for guiding the lower section to cause its lower edge to move vertically along the posts and automatic means for catching the door and holding it in raised position.

3. A side closure for a vehicle top, comprising a frame extendin upwardly from the side of the vehicle bo y, a door fitting in said frame and comprising two sections hinged together, a pivoted hinge connecting the upper edge of the door at the front of the vehicle, to the frame, and a hinge comprising two arms extending upwardly from the frame and door respectively and pivoted together at some distance above the frame, for connectin the door and frame at the rear side of t e door, a vertical guideway in the front post of the frame, and a yielding guide mem'ber connecting the lower front edge of the door with said guideway, the arrangement being such that the two sections of the door will fold together and may be swung upwardly into the top, the rear part of the door being raised some distance above the front part thereof when in open position.

4. temporary closure for the side of a naoagrta vehicle top, comprising a frame having posts extending upwardly from the sides of the vehicle and connected at their upper'l'ends by a horizontally arranged cap which extends out to the side of the top, a front-door comprising two sections hinged together at the center,pivota1iy connected to the cap by means of front and rear pivots, the iatter being at some distance above the former, a yieldingguide for the lower portion of said door, the arrangement being such that the two sections of the front door with foild together and swing upwardly into allinement with the adjacent portion of the top when the door is in open position, a center door comprising two sections hinged together, said center door being hinged to the cap and having members at the lower edge thereof, co-acting with guideways in the adjaeent posts for guiding the door as it swings upwardly, and a rear window comprising two sections hinged together with the upper section hinged to the cap, and a guide member for the lower section for guiding the se vertically along the post, means for looking said doors and window in closed position, and means for locking eaid'doors and window in open position.

oneness i iss. 

